Since its you that wrote Lands of Intrigue, I thought I should ask you the question.

How big is the elven city of Suldanessellar ? 3,000 elves ?

Also, is there any other elven settlement in the Wealdath ? *** ok, partly answered with Volo's Guide to Baldur's Gate II... ***

Since Suldanessellar is said to be 50 feet above ground.. how do you attack it with an army of Undead ? Lead by drow priestess of Kiaransalee ? (aka War of the Spider Queen heavily modified to attack Suldanessellar)

Hey Steven, while reading The Sea of Fallen Stars Campaign Expansion, I happened upon a map entry titled, The Caves of Hurok. According to the colored map, they lie just off the coast of Westgate. Unless I'm missing something, I can't find an entry detailing this site. Can you possibly show me the way or elaborate? Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Direct Quote by SESYeah, I've lost my notes as to exactly which dragon/great wyrm it was that slew Sylvallitham; anyone know/remember if I'd placed him among the slaughtered dragons down among the Lands of Intrigue? (I've been rereading those areas recently and was astonished I'd left quite a few rather ancient dragons in place and slaughtered many more younger dragons.....) I can state unequivocally that Garnetallisor was not the slayer of his mentor.

As for those "arcing bolts of electrical fire," I wanted to underscore that this critter was something special. For visual purposes, think of it like silver fire--it looks and acts a bit like fire, but inherently it's something else entirely. What exactly has yet to be statted, and I'd just as soon let GMs handle that.

If you need my opinion, I'd say it's exactly as stated--electrical fire that burns and shocks; damage is standard dragon progression of 2d8/age category but it counts as both fire/lightning while bypassing defenses designed against either one. (In other words, you're only immune to/defended against his breath weapon if you're immune/resistant to BOTH fire and lightning.)

Garnet was a wholly unique creature unlike any to exist before or since. He was a chimera of dracoforms, and the only reason he was red in color and blue in shape was this: Saeval Ammath had many secrets never revealed to elves outside of his clan, and often only to a few select members of his immediate family. Saeval's grandfather--an exiled elf who was born outside of Cormtanthor and never trod its paths--was a half-dragon, born of a silver dragon mother. He was a great tracker and wizard of Ardeep (Sure hope I'm getting my dates/names right, but I'm winging it here from half-remembered notes that don't survive; George and Eric can correct me before this thread closes. ) and patriarch of a loyal and good branch of the Ammath clan in those western woods.

Saeval came to Myth Drannor to learn more magics but also to cure a great sorrow of his own--the silver dragon (long publicly a family friend but in truth his own great-grandmother) had died protecting him and others from battle-maddened Hlondathan mages scavenging for any magics they could find (and they also took their trade caravan to be smuggling weapons and magic to the Cormanthan elves, their enemies in the Crown and Scepter Wars). Saeval preserved the dragon's soul in a brand-new kiira, and spent the next 50 years or so trying to find a way to restore her to life. He studied under many of the great wizards of Myth Drannor and COrmanthor of all races and he wandered far and wide (rumor has it he venture far onto the Great Glacier and as far south as Chondath).

When he found a blue dragon's egg in his wanderings, he magically kept it from hatching or developing, and he spent a decade of casting to alter its form into something powerful enough to house the silver dragon's soul. While he managed to match the power of the red dragons inside the form of the blue dragon and make other changes to allow for the magical transfer, he either could not or did not change the dragon's gender within its shell.

When the egg finally hatched in 348, Garnet was unique. Physically, he had to relearn everything to adapt to this new form, but mentally, (s)he had all the knowledge of her previous life. Thus, even at hatchling stage, he had access to the special abilities of a very old silver dragon (except polymorph self, as the magics used to create his new form locked him into one shape; and damage reduction, which is a function of the physical body, not the mind).

Thus, even while Garnet is now physically a wyrm, (s)he's gone into epic levels for certain special abilities. Assuming, of course, that he still exists...

Hope this explains why Garnet isn't either evil or the start of a whole new race of dragons. While one could postulate that he could mate with either reds or blues and have offspring of that hue/form, it's far more sensible (given the origin and attendant problems) to state that Garnet, while healthy in all ways, was born sterile.

Whew.... Geez, Wooly....simple email and I expected it'd be a short response, but nooo..... End Quote

I just wanted to know if the mental progress included earning thespell-like abilities of a blue dragon as retaining the silver dragon's, and if the spell progression would continue in tune with a blue's or if you'd add class levels.

I'm glad Althen resurrected this one. Are there any plans for Garnetallisar in 4E canon lore? I'm assuming that if so, all you can say is <NDA> and I understand that. If the identity of Sylvallitham's slayer is still unknown, I'd like to open the floor to nominations. One last thing: Are you absolutely sure that those notes don't survive in any form?

Thanks.

Playing in the Realms since the Old Grey Box (1987)... and *still* having fun with material published before 2008, despite the NDA'd lore.

If it's comparable in power with non-magical abilities, it's not magic.

Hey Steven, while reading The Sea of Fallen Stars Campaign Expansion, I happened upon a map entry titled, The Caves of Hurok. According to the colored map, they lie just off the coast of Westgate. Unless I'm missing something, I can't find an entry detailing this site. Can you possibly show me the way or elaborate? Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks.

See the entry for the "Lost Lands" in 'Sea of Fallen Stars', p.46.

-- George Krashos

"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus

Hello Mr. Schend. I'm currently in the process of running the reclamation of Lothen and it came to my attention through Hoondatha that you had proposed a few items for The Fall of Myth Drannor that didn't make it into the adventure. I'd really like to hear about some of your items if that's all right (and allowed) and anything else you might be able to point me to for my players to discover after all the cleansing of the city is done. If it helps at all, I estimate my players being around levels 11-13 give or take... depending on certain choices that they could make. Thank you for your time, sir.

Some of my French Fellow Realmers ask me about Alustriel's 12 sons. They would like to know if the name of their father had already been quoted. I read in WotC's article (here) about Methrammar that his father had another son (Tyresia) with another women.But I found no name about him.

Did you at least create and use one for him ?

Thanks a lot Master Schend

"Today is a good day to smile", Fillow Big'n'Book Mahlemiut 'Lead-dog', Son of Garl, Wanderer of the Masked Leaf and Namer of Oghma.

Well, I finally managed to buy Blackstaff Tower, and so I re-read it, which of course, reminded me of some questions:1) First of all, I join The Simbul in her disagreement about Laeral. Admittedly, it could be that Krehlan means 'Laeral's lifetime while she lived here' implying she is living elsewhere, but it seems doubtful. But I do find it hard to believe that you are saying she is dead, especially because

quote:Originally posted by Steven Schend:No, I don't know the current status of Azuth or any of the Seven Sisters

So what's the answer (please don't say NDA)?2) What was Krehlan's issue with Khelben and abandonement by his father, referred to when talking with the trapped Centiv?3) Khelben's spiriy says to Varja when she claims the Blackstaff: "I see my blood and Gamalon's blood in you". How is Khelben and ancestor of Varja? And who is Gamalon?4) How could the Open Lord be so corrupt? What happened? Isn't the system in Waterdeep supposed to prevent this? How could the Masked Lords not know this, or ignore it?5) I assume the words 'tluin', 'parhard', and 'stlaern' are curse words of some sort. So what do they mean? And however did they develop?6) When Varja claims the BLackstaff, she is asked 6 questions. Was each Blackstaff asked these questions? If so, how were they all Blackstaffs? It seems unlikely all of them were both sorcerers and wizards. Or is it just that the questions differ for each Blackstaff according to his character, and these questions were asked of her because she could not reconcile all her parts?7) Is there any more information on the Magistree, beyond what is given in the book that you can tell us?

"Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly.How much less them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation in the dust, are crushed before the moth?" - Eliphaz the Temanite, Job IV, 17-19.

"Yea, though he live a thousand years twice, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?" - Ecclesiastes VI, 6.

3) Khelben's spiriy says to Varja when she claims the Blackstaff: "I see my blood and Gamalon's blood in you". How is Khelben and ancestor of Varja? And who is Gamalon?

Gamalon Idogyr is a mage of some power. He's a noble in Tethyr, and also appeared in Blackstaff. His first appearance was in an old issue of Dragon (159, I believe), where he wrote a letter to Elminster and described several Spelljammer-specific magical items. Gamalon was one Steven's own D&D characters; I believe he was actually Steven's first. You can read a bit more about him in the Lands of Intrigue boxed set, available as a free download from the Wizards downloads page.

Vajra is descended from the Thann family. Some Thanns went down to Tethyr to participate in the Reclamation and became nobles there. And Khelben himself is related to the Thann family.

quote:Originally posted by Menelvagor

4) How could the Open Lord be so corrupt? What happened? Isn't the system in Waterdeep supposed to prevent this? How could the Masked Lords not know this, or ignore it?

Waterdeep has had some bad seeds become Lords before... In fact, the City of Splendors: Waterdeep book has one Lord replaced by a greater doppelganger and a potential Lord who works for the Xanathar! Without Khelben or Laeral around to poke around in the minds of potential Lords, it would be easier for another baddie or something to ascend to the Lordship. And all you'd need is one bad seed to eventually corrupt -- or more likely, replace -- the other Lords.

So if the majority of the Lords are corrupt, a corrupt Open Lord wouldn't be an issue. And considering what Waterdeep has become in 4E, I think it's safe to assume that the Lords are not the upright group they once were.

quote:Originally posted by Menelvagor

5) I assume the words 'tluin', 'parhard', and 'stlaern' are curse words of some sort. So what do they mean? And however did they develop?

Tluin and stlaern Realms versions of the f-bomb. Those are words Ed has given us as Realms profanity. I don't know parhard, though.

quote:Originally posted by Menelvagor

7) Is there any more information on the Magistree, beyond what is given in the book that you can tell us?

Years back, there was a Realms By Night series of articles on the WotC site. The first (and only, unfortunately) group of articles was on ghosts and hauntings in Waterdeep. The Magistree was described in one of those articles. The articles were written by Steven.

"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."--Richard Greene (letter to Time)

I forgot about Gamalon... it's so hard, not having the books.The only way I can get them is order them, and even then, only several at a time. It's so frustrating!Thanks a lot for the answers, though. They're a great help.EDIT: Also re-reading Lands of Intrigue... especially the Tethyr part. So I have many questions: Elminster mentions Shoon IV and Shoon VII, who were both 'evil incarnate'. Now, we have a tale of the cruelties of Shoon IV (the Death March). How about one of Shoon VII, who according to El, was even more abhorrent?What exactly was the treachery Amahl VII used to defeat King Silvyr?What was the Sword of Starlight, and where is it?WHat did the elves really do to Lord Dinos Akhlemere?Where did the 'Retreat of the Elves' go to? I'm betting on Evermeet.

"Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly.How much less them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation in the dust, are crushed before the moth?" - Eliphaz the Temanite, Job IV, 17-19.

"Yea, though he live a thousand years twice, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?" - Ecclesiastes VI, 6.

Some of my French Fellow Realmers ask me about Alustriel's 12 sons. They would like to know if the name of their father had already been quoted. I read in WotC's article (here) about Methrammar that his father had another son (Tyresia) with another women.But I found no name about him.

Did you at least create and use one for him ?

Thanks a lot Master Schend

No info about Alustriel's sons' father yet ? Sorry for insisting fellow scribes.

"Today is a good day to smile", Fillow Big'n'Book Mahlemiut 'Lead-dog', Son of Garl, Wanderer of the Masked Leaf and Namer of Oghma.

Some of my French Fellow Realmers ask me about Alustriel's 12 sons. They would like to know if the name of their father had already been quoted. I read in WotC's article (here) about Methrammar that his father had another son (Tyresia) with another women.But I found no name about him.

Did you at least create and use one for him ?

Thanks a lot Master Schend

No info about Alustriel's sons' father yet ? Sorry for insisting fellow scribes.

I have the following quote in my updated file on Alustriel: "The Tall Ones are the sons of Alustriel and Taerntym Tanagathor/"Taern Moonweather", an elven lord. (...) All in all, Alustriel bore Taerntym seventeen sons, but five of them are either unknown to the Silverymoon folks but famous within the Moonwood and their father's people or are dead. "

A quick question, again related to Blackstaff Tower:I was hiking yesterday with a few friends. It was hot and muggy, and I opened my buttoned shirt down to about my navel. One of my friends, a FR reader like me, remarked 'Are you trying to look like Ashemmon?' ('cause in Blackstaff Tower, when Laraelra meets his ghost, he's described as wearing a robe revealing his chest to navel). Another friend, who doesn't read FR, asked 'Is Asemmon a rapper I haven't heard of?' We said 'no'. 'Ah, a gangster, then?' It dawned on us that the way I (and Ashemmon) wore out clothes was typical of rappers and gangsters (down to tattoos - Asemmon's, not mine, I don't have any).Were you aware of this, Steven? And does anybody else have a comment, perhaps?

"Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly.How much less them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation in the dust, are crushed before the moth?" - Eliphaz the Temanite, Job IV, 17-19.

"Yea, though he live a thousand years twice, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?" - Ecclesiastes VI, 6.

Steven, congratulations on your Westcrown article (can you guess which faction I belong to? ) which will be published in the 'Council of Thieves' AP! As a long-time FR fan (and a big fan of your work), this is very good news to me, and I know a lot of FR fans on the Paizo boards are cheering for you!

Here's to hoping that we'll see more articles and even whole accessories written by you for Paizo (in fact, we're pushing really hard to get you and Eric to write 'Dwarves of Golarion')!

"What am I doing today? Ask me tomorrow - I can be sure of giving you the right answer then."-- Askarran of Selgaunt, Master Sage, speaking to a curious merchant, Year of the Helm

A quick question, again related to Blackstaff Tower:I was hiking yesterday with a few friends. It was hot and muggy, and I opened my buttoned shirt down to about my navel. One of my friends, a FR reader like me, remarked 'Are you trying to look like Ashemmon?' ('cause in Blackstaff Tower, when Laraelra meets his ghost, he's described as wearing a robe revealing his chest to navel). Another friend, who doesn't read FR, asked 'Is Asemmon a rapper I haven't heard of?' We said 'no'. 'Ah, a gangster, then?' It dawned on us that the way I (and Ashemmon) wore out clothes was typical of rappers and gangsters (down to tattoos - Asemmon's, not mine, I don't have any).Were you aware of this, Steven? And does anybody else have a comment, perhaps?

Ashemmon is wearing a robe, and pants, but no shirt. If his robe were open, his chest would be showing. I wouldn't characterize this as similar to a rapper or gangster, personally, merely a gentleman who is rather.. comfortable with his own skin.

<snip>3) Khelben's spiri(t) says to Varja when she claims the Blackstaff: "I see my blood and Gamalon's blood in you". How is Khelben and ancestor of Varja? And who is Gamalon?<snip>

I would dearly love the Arunsun/Thann family tree to be made public, but I suspect it will be NDA until summer in Caina (because "until the other eight Hells freeze over" has been so overused in various forms). Please prove my suspicions wrong, somebody... anybody...

Playing in the Realms since the Old Grey Box (1987)... and *still* having fun with material published before 2008, despite the NDA'd lore.

If it's comparable in power with non-magical abilities, it's not magic.

<snip>Elminster mentions Shoon IV and Shoon VII, who were both 'evil incarnate'. Now, we have a tale of the cruelties of Shoon IV (the Death March). How about one of Shoon VII, who according to El, was even more abhorrent?<snip>

Well, the Tome of the Unicorn (more specifically, its creation) was a pretty darned appalling act... twelve unicorns were killed for its creation, IIRC? If you were looking for something unpublished, you'll have to wait for Steven's response...

Playing in the Realms since the Old Grey Box (1987)... and *still* having fun with material published before 2008, despite the NDA'd lore.

If it's comparable in power with non-magical abilities, it's not magic.

I forgot about Gamalon... it's so hard, not having the books.The only way I can get them is order them, and even then, only several at a time. It's so frustrating!Thanks a lot for the answers, though. They're a great help.EDIT: Also re-reading Lands of Intrigue... especially the Tethyr part. So I have many questions: Elminster mentions Shoon IV and Shoon VII, who were both 'evil incarnate'. Now, we have a tale of the cruelties of Shoon IV (the Death March). How about one of Shoon VII, who according to El, was even more abhorrent?What exactly was the treachery Amahl VII used to defeat King Silvyr?What was the Sword of Starlight, and where is it?WHat did the elves really do to Lord Dinos Akhlemere?Where did the 'Retreat of the Elves' go to? I'm betting on Evermeet.

I'm not Steven, but I'll have ago at some of these:

For Shoon VII, see the write-up for the Tome of the Unicorn.

For Amahl Shoon VII, he used poison in his duel with Silvyr.

For the Sword of Starlight, this is another 'dangling realmslore hook' that Steven was a master at leaving behind in his writings. In other words, the answer to your question is whatever suits you.

-- George Krashos

"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus

I'm not sure if this really an appropriate question or a waste of your time, but I wanted to put it out there. In my campaign, I'm using Khelben in a cameo position to sort of set up future events. I'm running Ruins of Adventure (Phlan, 1340) and will eventually lead into Curse of the Azure Bonds. One of the PCs (Anton) was left behind as the party got routed and he was taken unconcious to the wizard Yarash's pyramid up river. There he was marked with a series of blue tattoos up and down his arms and back. I'm leaving the hint that this is part of the protype for the Azure Bonds, themselves. He was also implanted with something that made him more or less a human shield golem. The party managed to defeat him in combat later, without killing him, but he remained comatose for quite some time.

He's a Cormaeril and his uncle, Dasmer Cormaeril, was able to pull some strings to have Khelben Arunsun "come and take a look." He will be able to return Anton to conciousness and coherant control of his own body. Several PCs will at least tangently encounter him while he remains in Phlan and I'd really like some guidance into making him memorable and truly Khelben. I've read Blackstaff and I've read other books in which he made an appearance, but if you had a couple of minutes to throw some thoughts out, I'd really appreciate it.